Seven things learned as Tyrese Haliburton returns to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Pacers loss to Mavs

INDIANAPOLIS – Gainbridge Fieldhouse was packed, as expected for the Indiana Pacers 2026-27 home opener. But this buzz was different.

The fans knew it could be a special night, as did the players. Tyrese Haliburton was returning, set to play in front of the Indianapolis faithful for the first time (excluding exhibitions) since Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals. The anticipation was through the roof, especially after Haliburton's long-awaited return – albeit on the road – ended with a victory on Wednesday.

Haliburton sat next to Ivica Zubac with a grin while waiting to be introduced as a starter. Then, his name was called. The reception was earsplitting.

"The whole thing's an emotional thing. There's no getting around it," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said pregame of Haliburton's return.

The Pacers were hoping to put on a show for the home crowd. What was learned in Pacers-Mavericks?

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Tyrese Haliburton addressed the crowd

Before the game began, Haliburton basked in the cheers and shared a message with the attending fans.

He was clearly eager to play. And off the Pacers went. Haliburton had six points and two assists in the first quarter.

The Pacers early defense was awful

The Pacers did, in fact, have an opponent for this game: the Dallas Mavericks. And the Mavs carved up the Pacers to get this game going.

It took less than nine minutes for Dallas to reach 30 points on the scoreboard. They couldn't miss, generating wide open shots every play. Kyrie Irving looked great. Cooper Flagg, even better.

The Mavs hit eight threes in the first quarter and just as many twos. They looked incredible, scoring 44 points in the period. They had just 38 points in the first half Wednesday in Houston.

So the Pacers had work to do. It was 44-27 after the first quarter. And the second quarter? It wasn't much better.

No flow for the Pacers in the first half

After conceding 44 points in the first quarter, the Pacers needed some scoring to get back into the game. Instead, their offense was miserable to open the second frame – they scored just four points in the first six minutes.

At that time, they were 2/6 from the field with a whopping six turnovers. Their attack had absolutely no flow or connection.

Carlisle tried all kinds of answers. Jay Huff played backup center. Jalen Slawson got some playing time on the wing. Andrew Nembhard and Kelly Oubre manned the backcourt for extra size.

None of it worked. With five minutes until halftime, the Pacers were down by 30 points.

Pacers try, and fail, to give themselves some juice... plus a scuffle

Down 30, the Pacers took a timeout and needed some fire. On their first offensive possession after that stoppage, both Slawson and Zubac pulled in an offensive rebound before Zubac finished an and-one. It was the type of play that can give a team some juice, even if only for a few minutes.

Then, with about one minute to go until halftime, Aaron Nesmith chased Flagg back during a breakaway and tried to wind up for an emphatic block. Instead, he committed a hard foul that Mavericks forward Naji Marshall took exception to. Marshall went right at Nesmith, and a scuffle ensued.

Nesmith was given a flagrant one and a technical foul. Marshall received a tech as well. Flagg hit some foul shots. And the Pacers didn't get enough energy from either of these effort plays – they were down 34 at halftime, trailing 77-43.

Fans were rightly angry – having waited over a year to watch Haliburton and this team again, then getting that performance. There was some frustration with the refs as well. Together, those factors led to heavy booing as the Pacers exited the court after the second quarter.

"This is awful," I overheard a fan say as I did my walk through the Fieldhouse at halftime. "I might as well start drinking."

Spirited fans

The Pacers deserved the boos they were hearing. The crowd that came to see Haliburton's return was pumped and still heavily invested in the game even with the Pacers down by a ton of points.

In the third quarter, the Pacers pushed their deficit down to 23. There was a crowd pop as Obi Toppin finished a dunk via a lob, then a "de-fense" chant began. It felt like a big game, even in the third quarter of a blowout.

In response, the Pacers... instantly gave up a basket, then turned it over. Some boos returned before they cut the Mavs edge to 22. Even still, the crowd was excited, finally seeing the team they remembered from 2024-25 for a few minutes. But they were not seeing a good overall performance from the team.

The fiery players were fiery

Nembhard, Slawson, and Quenton Jackson shared the court in the third quarter. Those three are, in a good way most of the time, combustible and not afraid. Nesmith and Toppin joined them for an energy-filled lineup.

That group was largely good and helped the Pacers cut their deficit all the way down to 19. It was 37 at one point. Nembhard and Mavericks guard Marcus Sasser got into it after a foul was called on Sasser, and Slawson joined Jackson as the two Pacers players closest to the verbal exchange as it continued.

Finally, some life from the Pacers. But it was too late with the team down by 22 points after three quarters.

Showing what could have been possible

To the credit of the Pacers, who never quit and have many ridiculous comebacks to their name, they kept fighting and made a victory feel possible at times in the fourth quarter.

Irving fouled out for Dallas with 4:23 to go and the Pacers down by 13. At that moment, the fans were amped. They felt like something special was possible.

But Slawson (who, to his credit, was fantastic in this game) missed both free throws after that foul. Then the Mavs scored twice to extend their lead to 17, effectively ending the game.

By finding a groove in the second half, albeit after Flagg exited the game due to injury, the Pacers proved they could have been much better early in this game. But they weren't and deserved to lose. The Mavericks beat the Pacers 121-105 as the Pacers fell to 1-1.

Thank you for reading. Plenty more to come on the Pacers as their season gets going, and some major Fever news dropped on Friday. Sign up to not miss any of the details and stories covering it all.